God Promises Joy from Judah

Genesis 49:9-12 You are a lion’s cub, O Judah; you return from the prey, my son. Like a lion he crouches and lies down, like a lioness – who dares to rouse him? 10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his. 11 He will tether his donkey to a vine, his colt to the choicest branch; he will wash his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes. 12 His eyes will be darker than wine, his teeth whiter than milk. 
 
JUDAH is one of Jacob’s 12 sons we mentioned in the previous lesson. When his mother Leah gave birth to her fourth son, she said, “This time I will praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. (Genesis 29:35c) In the Hebrew language, Judah sounds like words that point to praise and joy. God planned this birth to point to Jesus.
   The Scripture here is Jacob’s prophecy of Judah’s lineage. It is an exclamation of God’s promise to deliver the Messiah from the line of Judah. From Judah will come rulers over Israel. The scepter of the King’s rule will remain in Judah’s line until the Messiah comes to rule the nations.
   The prophecy also promises the agricultural bounty of the new heaven and earth in Messiah’s rule. One will tether his donkey to a vine because grapevines will be so plentiful they will be used as hitching posts. Wine will be as bountiful as wash water. Teeth will be white from a great quantity of milk from large herds of goats and cows.
   This abundant prophecy of the new heaven and earth is repeated in several scriptures, including Isaiah 61:7 You will possess a double portion of prosperity in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. And Zechariah 3:10 “In that day each of you will invite his neighbor to sit under his vine and fig tree, declares the Lord Almighty.”
   In Jerusalem, the capital of Judah’s descendants, the joy of Jesus’ salvation was first declared. The gospel’s bountiful fruit has spread throughout the entire world to deliver the good news of salvation. One day God’s people will joyfully dwell in the physical and spiritual richness of his eternal land.